When Noor Tagouri talks, people listen. Her words carry influence.
Kaftan, Blibla Studio; Shoes, Zyne; Earrings, necklace, bracelets, rings, Yelli Jewel. Photo: Zineb Koutten
With a 15-year career in media, perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Libyan-American award-winning journalist, author, and producer is vocal on a multitude of topics, yet it’s her ability to dive into oft-taboo subjects that engages and galvanizes her two million digital followers. Tagouri’s quest for the truth reframes storytelling and media as a service, taking her audience on meaningful journeys, while asking some of life’s most challenging questions.
Her latest project is authoring Questions I’m Asking Myself, which is due for publication late next year. The book comes on the heels of her podcast REP: A Story About the Stories We Tell that was launched in 2022. Produced by her At Your Service production company in partnership with iHeartMedia, REP tackles questions about the misrepresentation and objectivity of Muslims in the US media. The six-week online course REP Club followed, bringing together people from around the world to explore big issues and share their narratives.
Vest, dress, Rumi Atelier; Bag, Adam Khafif; Shoes, Najlae; Earrings, necklaces, rings, Yelli Jewels. Photo: Zineb Koutten
The book is a memoir that takes the reader on the journey of the first 15 years of her career as an investigative journalist. “Questions I’m Asking Myself is really about self-investigation,” Tagouri says. “It’s based on a guide I wrote on how to ask yourself the hard questions and document your story, because I think that is the assignment for each of us. But how does one embark on that specific quest? I’m sharing the tools and methods that I’ve used as an investigative journalist, and telling people that if you have the moral courage to face your truth, here’s how we can do it together. I’m here to catch you if you fall. I’m at your service.”
Vest, Masnou3; Shirt, tie, Undress; Earrings, bracelets, rings, Yelli Jewels. Photo: Zineb Koutten
Tagouri and her husband, At Your Service co-founder Adam Khafif, left their home in the US after “a catalyst of wild things that happened and signs that were impossible to ignore.” The couple packed their bags and booked a one-way ticket to Morocco. Returning to the ancestral land of Adam’s father, they spent time in Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and Fes, as Tagouri put pen to paper. “The trip completely changed me,” she shares from Le Doge, a Moroccan-owned hotel in Casablanca, a day before they fly to Istanbul. “I’ve never felt my cup so full. There’s such a protectiveness here. We’re meeting so many people, building so many relationships, and now it’s time to implement everything we’ve learned.”
Kaftan, Rumi Atelier; Shoes, Zyne; Earrings, rings, stylist’s own. Photo: Zineb Koutten
Tagouri’s affinity with Morocco is clear during the lively fashion shoot in Casablanca, where she is involved and engaged, wearing Kenza Abousserhane, Blibla Studio, and Yelli Jewels. Her adoration is anchored in the stories of her extended family and the kindness of strangers. “Every hotel we stayed at was recommended by a stranger on the street who knows someone who knows someone. When you choose connection, you are divinely moved through the experience. It’s allowed me to redefine the concept of wealth and abundance.” Along with fostering deep kinship, the trip to Morocco “feels like a remembering of who we actually are as Arabs, as Muslims,” Tagouri shares. “I’ve been in such a transition of who I am and why I’m alive. Here in Morocco I learned what it means to be at your service. We are hospitality. We are service. We are generosity. We are intimacy, connection, community, deep love.”
Hoodie, Adam Khafif; Shirt, Undress; Skirt, Kenza Abousserhane; Earrings, necklace, bracelets, rings, Dihyan. Photo: Zineb Koutten
During the trip, Tagouri also directed a fashion campaign – which was written by Khafif – called Tomorrow, We Write, shot and set in Morocco for the American brand Faherty. Released last month, the editorial follows two female founders (Tagouri and her friend Kerry) who head abroad to work on their memoirs, but get distracted by the beauty and magic of their host country. “It’s an ode to all the creatives out there who ‘procrastinate,’” Tagouri says. The film was shot by Moroccan filmmaker Mohcine Harisse, and the images for the campaign were snapped by the same photographer who shot Tagouri for this feature, Zineb Koutten. “It was so cool to bring this piece of America to Morocco and celebrate its talent.”
Coat, Kenza Abousserhane; Shirt, Undress; Pants, Adam Khafif; Shoes, Najlae; Earrings, rings, Yelli Jewels. Photo: Zineb Koutten
Tagouri is also producing a documentary, due for release next year. A live-recorded tour hosted by her (and produced by At Your Service and Ultra Boom Media, whose team members are behind projects for Anthony Bourdain, Zac Efron, National Geographic, and Oprah Winfrey), called In America further explores what it means to be free in America today, heading into different neighborhoods to hear from a diverse set of people. “The intention is to truly understand who our neighbors are, and to dispel the fear that comes from the unknown. To build trust and find community when trust is more fleeting than ever, and to amplify civil discourse and model active listening.”
Jumpsuit, Najlae; Shoes, Zyne; Bracelet, rings, Yelli Jewels. Photo: Zineb Koutten
Having turned 30 in November last year, Tagouri is claiming this next decade as her “wild woman era,” engaging with what it really means to be free. “It’s connected to my ancestors and the women who’ve come before me. It’s barefoot hikes, dancing, and jumping into our cold pond in the Catskill Mountains every morning. It’s about deeply connected friendships and community. And being open, every single day.” Drawing on the female psyche as explored in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ seminal 1992 book Women Who Run with the Wolves, Tagouri is all-in for this defining decade, even celebrating her 30th with a “wild woman”- themed party. This odyssey started one year ago when Tagouri stopped wearing the hijab. “I had the fullest experience of being a Muslim- American woman who covered her hair,” she explains. “The day my first nephew was born, in October 2022, is when I first had a difficult conversation with my family about no longer wearing the hijab. I always thought I’d wait until I was 40. It was the hardest question I’ve ever asked myself. But that’s the thing about asking yourself hard questions – they don’t leave you alone, they linger.”
Coat, Mekdad Safae; Hoodie, Adam Khafif; Shirt, Undress; Earrings, stylist’s own. Photo: Zineb Koutten
Tagouri often goes where others don’t dare. Consider another one of her upcoming initiatives called Death Club, part of a series of monthly community group offerings At Your Service provides. “We were reading Secrets of Divine Love by A Helwa and a lot of people couldn’t read the last chapter on death. I realized that there was a need for something,” she says. “I’m gathering death doulas and spiritual guides and creating a place for people to learn and talk about grief, but also to express their fears around death.” Ultimately, her work has shown her that to love someone is to allow them their individuality. “Adam gave me the space to flip my world upside down to try to figure out and understand these questions,” she says. “What I’d like to leave people with is the knowledge that to be loving is to give those around you the chance to be themselves. When you see people who have the courage to be themselves, give them space and give them grace.”
Style: Omaima Fahmi
Hair: Kenza Lazrak
Makeup: Oumayma El Maadam
Photography assistant: Mohammed Aharddan
Originally published in the September 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia
